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Talking Heads: Olympiacos v Arsenal

Before and after every first-team fixture our MatchDay Show team - and an Arsenal blogger - will have their say on the match.

Arsenal take on Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday and our Talking Heads for this game are Dan Roebuck, Martin Hayes and James McNicholas from Gunnerblog.

Read on for their pre-match thoughts and come back later for their post-match comments.

Dan Roebuck - Arsenal Live

DAN ROEBUCK, PRESENTEROlympiacos were a side hungry for the win last night and in the end they simply wanted it more. That's entirely understandable given the two teams' positions going into this game, of course. Arsenal couldn't cope with the Greek side's pressure and, in truth, they never really looked like salvaging anything from the game. But on the plus side it would have been an invaluable experience for the Club's rising stars to taste their first Champions League action, as well as giving some of the fringe players some match time. But did they really take their chances? I'm sure most of them in the dressing after the game probably wouldn't have thought so. Onwards and upwards to the last 16.

This is a bonus game for Arsenal in many ways - they don't need a result but the experience will only benefit the younger players who get their chance. However to call this a shadow squad is a bit harsh because the likes of Frimpong, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Coquelin will want to show they are worthy of replacing one of the established first-team stars. I'll be looking for a good performance from whoever plays up front because Arsenal need effective back-up to Van Persie if he needs a rest later in the season. Olympiacos impressed me when they visited the Emirates - and frankly they probably deserved a point - and they will be tough to stop with a hostile crowd behind them.

Arsenal TV Online commentator - Martin Hayes

MARTIN HAYES, CO-COMMENTATORIn the end it was a bitterly disappointing night for Arsenal, but one some of those younger heads will certainly learn from. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can come away from this game with his head held high after another impressive performance on the wing, while Yossi Benayoun can also take credit for a brilliant strike which put Arsenal right back in it. In truth, I would have liked to have seen us try and use Benayoun a little more - his experience and creativity could have perhaps made more of a difference. As I said before, it's a squad game and this was another chance for some of the fringe players to shine. Most of them didn't take their opportunities, however, and that's something Arsène Wenger will be disappointed with.

It's a great luxury to be able to rest some key players tonight and let them prepare for the weekend game. It's something that three of Arsenal's Premier League rivals will not be able to do. Arsène Wenger can give some younger players a chance and I'm looking forward to seeing Frimpong, hopefully he can come on a little more and break out of that chasing pack to win a regular place. It will be good to see Oxlade-Chamberlain playing again, he's a real talent. Players didn't get eased into the first-team set-up in my day - I was thrown straight in after a poor result at Everton - but it's a squad game now so these opportunities sometimes arise. The important thing is that the younger players will have more experienced heads behind them, like Vermaelen and Squillaci. You need that little voice behind you to tell you that you're doing OK or to tell you where you're going wrong

Blog - Gunnerblog

JAMES McNICHOLAS, GUNNERBLOGIt's quite telling that I'm far less concerned about the result of the game than I am about the fitness of Andre Santos. The Brazilian has become an important component of the side in recent weeks, and seeing him carried off on a stretcher with an ankle problem probably had me fretting more than any of the three goals Olympiacos scored. Hopefully he won't be out for too long - in his absence Thomas Vermaelen is likely to fill in at left-back. For me, the two major positives were Yossi Benayoun's superbly-taken goal and the performance of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The latter seemed entirely unfazed by the occasion, which shouldn't surprise us now, and once again showed flashes of his potential. Whilst our defending was disappointing and ultimately cost us, we shouldn't let this dead rubber result dampen our pride at navigating the group stage as expertly as we have.

The benefit of rotating the squad for tonight's game is two-fold. In the first place, it grants a well-deserved rest to many of the players who started at Wigan - only Vermaelen and Santos have travelled. Secondly it provides an opportunity for those on the fringes of the squad, ensuring the XI that are selected will be highly-motivated for a tie that Arsenal do not need to win. Those hoping to impress include the young midfield pair of Frimpong and Coquelin, as well as winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who will start his first game away from the comfort of the Emirates. The strike pairing of Park and Chamakh will also to be keen to make an impact and show themselves to be able deputies for Robin van Persie. Olympiacos are hoping for qualification themselves, and are sure to generate a hostile atmosphere. It will be a big test for this team, but the performance of the squad players against Man City suggests that we have every chance of coming home with a positive result and maintaining our momentum.

* The views expressed in Talking Heads do not necessarily reflect those of Arsenal Football Club or Arsenal Broadband Ltd.

Copyright 2016 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source

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